Product display and process for suggesting related products

ABSTRACT

A product display unit may include a display device and a sensor to identify a product selected for purchase by a customer. Information relating to at least one related product suggested for use with the selected product may be presented on the display device. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/099,132, filed Sep. 22, 2008 and entitled Product Display and Processfor Suggesting Related Products, which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to a product display apparatus and method forsuggesting accessory products.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Customers who purchase audio-visual equipment such as HDTVs, DVDplayers, and audio receivers require the appropriate cables. Similarly,purchasers of home computing products such as computers, printers, andscanners may also require appropriate cables and other accessoryproducts. Customers may have to rely on their own knowledge, or therecommendations of sales personnel who may not have adequate expertiseor training Many customers end up purchasing the lowest quality cablesor the wrong type of cables and other accessories for their equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood from a reading of the followingdetailed description of examples of embodiments, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying figures in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary product display.

FIG. 2 is a exemplary display screen presentation.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a product display apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process for suggesting related products.

Throughout this description, elements appearing in the block diagrams ofFIG. 1-FIG. 5 are assigned three-digit reference designators, where themost significant digit is the figure number and the two leastsignificant digits are specific to the element. An element that is notdescribed in conjunction with a block diagram may be presumed to havethe same characteristics and function as a previously-described elementhaving a reference designator with the same two least significantdigits.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figuresillustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions anddetails of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in thedrawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, thedimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodimentsof the present invention. The same reference numerals in differentfigures denote the same elements.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in thedescription and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishingbetween similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particularsequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the termsso used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such thatthe embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operationin sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variationsthereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that aprocess, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises alist of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but mayinclude other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process,method, system, article, device, or apparatus.

The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,”“under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, areused for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describingpermanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms soused are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that theembodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capableof operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwisedescribed herein.

The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the likeshould be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or moreelements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two ormore electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but notmechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements maybe mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; twoor more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but notelectrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical,electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanentor semi permanent or only for an instant.

“Electrical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood andinclude coupling involving any electrical signal, whether a powersignal, a data signal, and/or other types or combinations of electricalsignals. “Mechanical coupling” and the like should be broadly understoodand include mechanical coupling of all types. The absence of the word“removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and thelike does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is notremovable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown shouldbe considered as exemplary, rather than limitations on the apparatus andmethods disclosed or claimed.

In a number of embodiments, a product display unit can include: (a) ameans to identify a selected product; and (b) a display device topresent information to suggest at least one related product.

In other embodiments, a method of suggesting a related product caninclude: (a) identifying a selected product; and (b) presentinginformation describing at least one product related to the selectedproduct.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary product display 100 may include asensor 110 to identify at least one product 140 selected by a customer,a display device 120 to present information on other products related tothe selected product 140, and shelves 130 or other means to hold therelated products. While the following description will be describe asituation where the customer has selected a single product, thedescribed apparatus and method are applicable to situations where thecustomer has selected multiple products. Customers may commonly selectmultiple products. For example, a customer may select multiple items ofaudio-visual equipment, and the product display 100 may presentinformation on cables and other accessories recommended to interconnectthe audio-visual equipment to form an integrated home entertainmentsystem.

In FIG. 1, the selected product 140 is shown within a shopping cart 145.However, the shopping cart 145 is not a necessary element. The selectedproduct 140 may be hand-carried by a customer or sales person, or may beconveyed in a shopping basket, shopping cart, dolly, hand truck, orother means appropriate to the size of the selected product. In somecircumstances, the selected product 140 may not be physically present.

A selected product 140 may be an item of consumer electronic equipment.For example, the selected product 140 may be an item of audio-visualequipment such as a television, a flat panel monitor, a Digital VideoDisc (DVD) player or recorder, a digital video recorder, a videocassette recorder, a video camera, a digital camera, an audio amplifieror receiver, a cassette player, Compact Disc (CD) player or other audiomedia player, speakers, or other audio-visual equipment. The selectedproduct 140 may be an item of computing equipment such as a desk-topcomputer, a laptop computer, a computer monitor, a printer, a scanner, amouse or other pointing device, a keyboard, a game controller, or otheritem of computing equipment. The selected product 140 may be some othertype of product entirely.

Depending on the nature of the selected product, suggested relatedproducts may include: cables required to connect the selected product;recordable medium, such as, for example, blank CDs or DVDs for use inthe selected product; software; prerecorded audio-visual media for usein the selected product; consumables for use in the selected product;peripheral products; or other accessory products. In some examples, theproduct display 100 may be used to recommend and present informationrelating to tangible related products such as cables and recordablemedia. In the same or other examples, the product display 100 may beused to recommend and present information relating to intangible relatedproducts such as extended warrantees, maintenance agreements, andinternet service. In further examples, the product display 100 may beused to recommend and present information relating to related servicessuch as training and installation support. The product display 100 maybe used to recommend and present information relating to any combinationof tangible, intangible, and service related products.

The product display 100 may be used to present information of any typerelated to the selected product. The product display 100 may serve toeducate the customer on the selected product as well as the use andinstallation of the selected product and the recommended relatedproducts. Information presented on the product display may includespecifications, warranty information, installation information,operation instructions, and other related information.

In situations where the product display 100 identifies more than oneselected product, the product display 100 may provide an indication thatthe plurality of selected products are or are not mutually compatible.In cases where a plurality of selected products are determined to bemutually incompatible, the product display 100 may recommend one or morealternative products.

The product display 100 may not be limited to suggesting only relatedproducts that are sold or stocked at the location where the customer ispurchasing the selected product 140. The product display 100 may suggestrelated products that are not sold at the location of the productdisplay 100. For example, the product display 100 may suggest relatedproducts that can be ordered through the product display 100 or by othermeans, such as the Internet, using information provided by the productdisplay 100.

The application of the product display 100 is not limited to situationswhere the selected product 140 is an item of audio-video equipment, anitem of computing equipment, or some other consumer electronics product.The product display 100 may be used to present and suggest any type ofmerchandise or service that might be related to any product selected bya customer. As an example, recommendations for steak sauce, cookingclasses, or barbecue grills could be suggested to a customer purchasingmeat in a grocery store.

The sensor 110 may be a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor toidentify the selected product by interrogating an RFID tag attached tothe selected product 140. In this context, the phrase “attached to” isintended to encompass tags permanently or temporarily attached to, orembedded within, the select product itself or the packaging materialsfor the selected product. The RFID sensor 110 may interrogate the RFIDtag to determine the type of the selected product. The type of selectedproduct may be determined by the name of the manufacturer and modelnumber or UPC code or by some other descriptive data.

The sensor 110 may be an optical sensor to identify the selected productby scanning a bar-code or some other optical indicia attached to theexterior of the selected product or the packaging materials for theselected product. The optical indicia may be printed on the packagingmaterials or may be permanently or temporarily affixed to the selectedproduct or packaging materials. The type of selected product may bedetermined by the name of the manufacturer and model number or UPC codeor by some other descriptive data. The sensor 110 is not limited to anRFID sensor or an optical sensor and may be any type of sensor that canidentify the selected product.

The sensor 110 may be disposed on an arm extending from the productdisplay 100, as shown in FIG. 1. The sensor 110 may be disposed on orwithin the product display 100, or on or within the structure of abuilding. For example, sensor 110 may be disposed under the floor or onthe ceiling in heavily-trafficked areas of a store. The sensor 110 maybe hand-held and operated by a customer, a sales person, or anotherperson. A hand-held sensor may be connected to the product display bymeans of a cable or a wireless communication link. The sensor 100 may becomprised of multiple sensor units that may be disposed to interrogatethe selected product from multiple directions. The sensor 100 may becomprised of multiple sensor units that are distributed between multiplelocations within a store.

The display device 120 may be a flat-panel display or other displaydevice. The display device 120 may be disposed on the product display atany location where display device 120 may be conveniently viewed by acustomer. The display device may be disposed at approximately eye-levelas shown in FIG. 1.

The display device 120 may be used to present information on relatedproducts suggested or recommended for use with the selected productsensed by the sensor 110. Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary displayscreen 200 may recommend a specific High-Definition Multimedia Interface(HDMI) cable to a customer who has selected a high definition televisionor a high definition video recorder. The information presented on thedisplay device may include the name, description, and/or model number ofone or more related products suggested for use with the selectedproduct. The information presented on the display device may alsoinclude pictures of recommended related products, information on thelocation of recommended related products either on the product display100 or within the retail store, contact information for purveyors ofrelated services or intangible related products, and any otherinformation that may be helpful to the customer purchasing the selectedproduct. The display device 120 may also be used to present a uniformresource locator (URL) or Internet address leading to a Web pagecontaining additional information on the installation and use of theselected product and/or the recommended related products.

The product display 100 may include a manual input device to allow acustomer to interact with the product display 100. The manual inputdevice may be, for example, a touch screen 122 integrated with displaydevice 120, a mouse or other pointing device (not shown), or a keyboard(not shown). The manual input device and the display device 120 may beadapted to allow a customer to identify a selected product in situationswhere the selected product is not physically present.

The product display may include an audio system, which may include oneor more speakers 125, to play prerecorded or synthesized messagesdescribing products related to the selected product 140. The audiosystem may serve as a means to gain customer attention, and may serve asan aide to the visually-impaired. The audio system may serve as anaugmentation or an alternative to the display device 120. The audiosystem may be adapted to provide the same information available on theproduct display. Thus the audio system may make audible recommendationsof related products and may provide information relating to the selectedproduct as previously described.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the product display 100 may include means forholding some or all of the related products that may be recommended. Inthe example of FIG. 1, the means for holding the related products areshown as the shelves 130. Other means may be used for holding therelated products, including but not limited to pegs, hooks, hangers,racks, bins, drawers, and combinations thereof. The means for holdingthe related products may include means for identifying the recommendedrelated products to the customer. Means for identifying the recommendedrelated products may include lights 150 behind the recommended relatedproducts, lights 155 adjacent to the recommended related products or theassociated holders, vibrating holders for the recommended relatedproducts, vibrating tags within the recommended related products, andother identification means.

In FIG. 1, the product display 100 is depicted as a free-standing unit.However, the product display 100 may be integrated with a check-out lineor other existing structure within a store. The product display may alsobe distributed between multiple physical locations, and may consist ofmultiple sensors, multiple display devices, multiple arrangements ofrelated products, and combinations thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a product display apparatus 300 may include acomputer 310 connected to a display unit 360 and to one or more sensorunits such as an RFID reader 340 or an optical reader 350. The RFIDreader 340, if present, may be self-contained, or may be connected toone or more antennas such as antenna 345. The computer 310 mayoptionally be connected to a printer 380, to an audio system 390, and toa network 375 by means of a network interface 370. The computer 310 mayinclude memory 330 and storage device 320. As used herein, a storagedevice is a device that allows for reading and/or writing to a storagemedium. Storage media include, for example, magnetic media such as harddisks, floppy disks and tape; optical media such as compact disks(CD-ROM and CD-RW) and digital versatile disks (DVD and DVD±RW); flashmemory cards; and other storage media. The storage device 320 may storedata, such as tables of products and related products, required in theoperation of the product display. The storage device 320 may store oneor more application programs in the form of instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the computer 310 to control the operation of the productdisplay as described herein.

The computer 310 may include software and/or hardware for providingfunctionality and features described herein. The computer 310 maytherefore include one or more of: memories, analog circuits, digitalcircuits, software, firmware, and processors such as microprocessors,digital signal processors, network processors, field programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), and programmable logic arrays (PLAs).The hardware and firmware components of the computer 310 may includevarious specialized units, circuits, software and interfaces forproviding the functionality and features described herein. Theprocesses, functionality and features may be embodied, in whole or inpart, in software which operates on the computer 310 and may be in theform of firmware, an application program, an applet (e.g., a Javaapplet), a browser plug-in, a Component Object Model (COM) object, adynamic linked library (DLL), a script, one or more subroutines, or anoperating system component or service. The computer 310 may run anoperating system, including, for example, variations of the Linux, Unix,MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Palm OS, Solaris, Symbian, and Apple Mac OS Xoperating systems. The hardware and software and their functions may bedistributed such that some components are performed by the computer 310and others by other devices.

The computer 310 may receive data identifying a product selected by apurchaser from a sensor such as RFID reader 340 or optical reader 350.The computer 310 may receive data identifying a product selected by apurchaser from a manual input device. The computer 310 may be adapted toidentify at least one recommended related product for the selectedproduct. For example, the computer 310 may include a database definingrelationships between selected products and related products. Thecomputer 310 may also contain a database of information describingrelated products. Once a recommended related product has beenidentified, the computer 310 may generate a display screen format forpresentation on the display device 360.

The display device 360 may be a flat panel display or other suitabledisplay device. The display device 360 may include a manual input devicesuch as a touch sensitive surface 365 to allow a customer or otherperson to interact with the product display 300. The product display 300may include a separate manual input device, such as a keyboard orpointing device, not shown in FIG. 3.

The computer 310 may include one or more interfaces 370. The one or moreinterfaces may include a wired or wireless interface to a network 375.The network 375 may be the Internet or another network such as a privatelocal area network or wide area network. The network 375 may be accessedby means of conventional public switched telephone network (eitherdial-up or DSL); by means of a cable modem, satellite modem, or otherhigh bandwidth connection; or by means of a WiFi or other wirelessconnection to a wireless router. The one or more interface 370 mayinclude a USB port or other wired or wireless interface to an externalstorage device 372.

The one or more interfaces 370 may be used to load or update thedatabase of information describing related products. The database may beupdated by means of a wired or wireless connection to a network. In thiscase, the database may be updated at periodic intervals or at irregularintervals driven by the release of new products. The computer 310 mayalso request a real-time update whenever a new selected product isdetected. The database of information describing related products andthe instructions that cause the computer to control the product displaymay also be updated periodically or irregularly by means of a wired orwireless interface to the external storage device 372, which may be, forexample, a thumb drive, a memory stick, a flash memory, or an externalCD/DVD drive.

The display apparatus 300 can also include a wake-up sensor (not shown).The wake-up sensor can alert the computer 310 that a selected product isready to be identified. In some embodiments, the wake-up sensor can bean optical sensor, such as, for example, an infrared sensor, that candetect whether an item is located within a certain proximity of thedisplay apparatus 300. In other embodiments, the wake-up sensor can be asensor that can detect vibrations. As an example, the wake-up sensor canbe used to determine when a selected product has been placed against asurface of the display apparatus 300. In further embodiments, thewake-up sensor can be a timer. As an example, the wake-up sensor canwake up the computer 310 after a certain time period, and then thecomputer 310 can receive any information about a selected product viathe RFID reader 340 and/or optical reader 350. In addition, more thatone type of the wake-up sensor can be included in the display apparatus300.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a method 400 of recommending related productsbegins at 410 when one or more products selected for purchase areidentified. The method 400 may be compatible with the product display100, the product display apparatus 300, and other apparatuses. Theselected products may be identified by an RFID reader, an opticalreader, or other sensor as previously described. In some cases, it maybe necessary to identify a selected product without the selected productbeing physically present. For example, a customer may have alreadypurchased the selected product, or the selected product may bephysically too large to be positioned at the product display. In caseswhere the selected product is not physically present, the customer maybe provided with a product tag that can be sensed by the productdisplay. Alternatively, the customer may identify the selected productby manually entering identifying information. For example, the customermay designate the product from a list displayed on the product display,or may simply enter the product model number or other identifyinginformation using a manual input device.

At 420, at least one recommended related product for the selectedproduct or products may be identified. For example, a recommendedrelated product may be identified by consulting a database relatingproducts and accessories. In order to identify a recommended relatedproduct, interaction with a customer may occur at 430. For example, ifthe selected product is an item of audio-visual equipment, the customermay be asked to identify what other equipment (possibly already owned)will be connected to the equipment selected for purchase. Therecommended accessory cables may then be identified based on the sensedidentification of the select product and the customer's responses. Thequeries to the customer and the responses from the customer may becommunicated by means of a flat panel display with a touch-sensitivescreen, or by some other method.

After at least one recommended related product is identified at 420,information pertaining to the recommended related product or productsmay be presented on a display device at 440. The information presentedon the display device may include the name, description, and/or modelnumber of one or more related products recommended for use with theselected product. The information presented on the display device mayalso include pictures of recommended related products; information onthe location of recommended related products, such as, for example, thelocation of the recommended related products on a product display orwithin the retail store; contact information for purveyors of relatedservices or intangible accessory products, and any other informationthat may be helpful to the customer purchasing the selected product. Inaddition to presenting information on the recommended related product onthe display device, a product display may also identify the relatedproduct by means of lights or vibrating tags as previously described.

In situations where two or more selected products are identified at 420,the mutual compatibility of the two or more selected products may bevalidated at 425. The customer may be provided with a message or otherindication if the two or more selected products are, or are not,mutually compatible. In cases where the two or more selected productsare not mutually compatible, an alternative to at least one of theselected products may be recommended.

At 450, the customer may be allowed to take an immediate action, such asselecting one or more recommended related products for immediatepurchase, or ordering one or more recommended related products fordelivery. For example, the customer may be able to order recommendedrelated products that are not in-stock or not sold at the customer'spresent location.

In the same or other examples, information relating to the recommendedrelated products may be printed at 460. In addition, at 470, an InternetURL or other link to additional information or actions may be displayed,printed, or otherwise provided to the customer.

At 475, information about the customer, the selected products, therecommended products, any purchases or orders made by the customer inresponse to recommendations, and/or other aspects of the transaction maybe saved for future analysis. Information relating to the performanceand status of the product display may also be saved for analysis andfault diagnosis. Information relating to transactions and/or the statusof the product display may also be reported, for example over a network,in real time or periodically.

At 480, the customer may use the link provided at 470 to access theInternet or other network to receive additional information relating tothe selected product and/or the recommended related products at 490. Thecustomer may also be given the opportunity to purchase or order therecommended related product(s) at 490.

The foregoing is merely illustrative and not limiting, having beenpresented by way of example only. Although examples have been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the artthat changes, modifications, and/or alterations may be made.

Although many of the examples presented herein involve specificcombinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understoodthat those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways toaccomplish the same objectives. With regard to flowcharts, additionaland fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined orfurther refined to achieve the methods described herein. Acts, elementsand features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are notintended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments.

For means-plus-function limitations recited in the claims, the means arenot intended to be limited to the means disclosed herein for performingthe recited function, but are intended to cover in scope any means,known now or later developed, for performing the recited function.

As used herein, “plurality” means two or more.

As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items.

As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, theterms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”,“involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e.,to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases“consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, areclosed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims.

As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives,but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.

Although aspects of the subject matter described herein have beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the subject matter described herein.Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments is intended to beillustrative of the scope of the subject matter described herein and isnot intended to be limiting. It is intended that the scope of thesubject matter described herein shall be limited only to the extentrequired by the appended claims. To one of ordinary skill in the art, itwill be readily apparent that the devices and processes discussed hereinmay be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and that the foregoingdiscussion of certain of these embodiments does not necessarilyrepresent a complete description of all possible embodiments. Rather,the detailed description of the drawings, and the drawings themselves,disclose at least one preferred embodiment, and may disclose alternativeembodiments.

All elements claimed in any particular claim are essential to thesubject matter described herein and claimed in that particular claim.Consequently, replacement of one or more claimed elements constitutesreconstruction and not repair. Additionally, benefits, other advantages,and solutions to problems have been described with regard to specificembodiments. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and anyelement or elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solutionto occur or become more pronounced, however, are not to be construed ascritical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all ofthe claims.

Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicatedto the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/orlimitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are orare potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations inthe claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A product display unit, comprising a means to identify a selectedproduct; and a display device to present information to suggest at leastone related product.
 2. The product display unit of claim 1, wherein:the means to identify the selected product is an RFID sensor to sense anRFID tag attached to the selected product.
 3. The product display unitof claim 1, wherein: the means to identify the selected product is anoptical sensor to read optical indicia attached to the selected product.4. The product display unit of claim 1, wherein: the means to identifythe selected product is a manual input device.
 5. The product displayunit of claim 1, further comprising: a computer to select the at leastone related product.
 6. The product display unit of claim 1, furthercomprising: a means for holding a plurality of the at least one relatedproduct.
 7. The product display unit of claim 1, further comprising: aprinter to print information relating to the at least one relatedproduct.
 8. The product display unit of claim 1, wherein: theinformation presented on the display device comprises at least one of: apart number of the at least one related product; a name of the at leastone related product; a description of the at least one related product;a picture of the at least one related product; or a location of the atleast one related product.
 9. The product display unit of claim 8,wherein: the information presented on the display device furthercomprises a URL providing access to further information pertaining tothe at least one related product.
 10. The product display unit of claim9, wherein: the further information pertaining to the at least onerelated product comprises at least one of: an installation diagram;installation instructions; or operating instructions.
 11. The productdisplay unit of claim 1, wherein: the selected product is an item ofelectronic equipment product; the at least one related product isselected from: a cable; a recordable medium; a pre-recorded medium; asoftware product; or a consumable product.
 12. The product display unitof claim 1, wherein: the at least one related product is selected from:a tangible product; an intangible product; or a service.
 13. A method ofsuggesting a related product, comprising: identifying a selectedproduct; and presenting information describing at least one productrelated to the selected product.
 14. The method of suggesting a relatedproduct of claim 13, wherein: identifying the selected product furthercomprises sensing an RFID tag attached to the selected product.
 15. Themethod of suggesting a related product of claim 13, wherein: identifyingthe selected product further comprises reading optical markings attachedto the selected product.
 16. The method of suggesting a related productof claim 13, wherein: identifying the selected product further comprisesat least one of: sensing a product tag; selecting a product from a listof products presented on a display; or manually entering identifyinginformation.
 17. The method of suggesting a related product of claim 13,further comprising: identifying the at least one product related to theselected product.
 18. The method of suggesting a related product ofclaim 13, further comprising: holding a plurality of the at least onerelated product.
 19. The method of suggesting a related product of claim13, further comprising: printing the information pertaining to the atleast one related product.
 20. The method of suggesting a relatedproduct of claim 13, wherein: presenting the information describing theat least one related product comprises presenting at least one of: apart number of the at least one related product; a name of the at leastone related product; a description of the at least one related product;a picture of the at least one related product; or a location of the atleast one related product.
 21. The method of suggesting a relatedproduct of claim 20, wherein: presenting the information describing theat least one related product further comprises presenting a URLproviding access to further information pertaining to the at least onerelated product.
 22. The method of suggesting a related product of claim21, wherein: the further information pertaining to the at least onerelated product includes at least one of: an installation diagram;installation instructions; or operating instructions.
 23. The method ofsuggesting a related product of claim 13, wherein: the selected productis an item of electronic equipment product; and the at least one relatedproduct is selected from: a cable; a recordable medium; a pre-recordedmedium; a software product; or a consumable product.
 24. The method ofsuggesting a related product of claim 13, wherein: the at least onerelated product is selected from: a tangible product; an intangibleproduct; and a service.
 25. The method of suggesting a related productof claim 13, further comprising: identifying at least one secondselected product; determining if the selected product and the at leastone second selected product are mutually compatible; and suggesting atleast one alternative product if the selected product and the at leastone second selected product are not mutually compatible.